Forced by fate – Destined to be his Wife

Rhea flicked her hair back off her face, trying to control her inner temper and hit redial on her cell for the fifth time. Pacing the empty corridor of the runway hall for the event tonight and aggravated more as seconds ticked by and he still didn’t pick up.

She had been trying to call YuZhi for the last two days, after he agreed they would sit down, the three of them, and talk things out. Since she slapped TangShi in the face she had avoided her, raged about the whole situation, cried, hated, and then relented and contacted YuZhi. She knew she had been wrong and even ZhengLi confirmed the whole incident had been innocent and drunken antics and mixed-up phones.

She had no idea why now after agreeing, he had gone off the radar again and was blanking her once more. YuZhi was getting too good at doing it. Since this whole stupid arrangement, he had been trying to distance them, keep them apart, and was continuously reminding her the breakup had to be real. She never got to see him anymore.

He said he was doing it for their future. To avoid conflict and emotional damage that could ruin everything in time by building resentment or making them fight. That he felt while things needed to be a certain way they should get on with their lives and put these two years down to time to grow as people and follow different paths. As long as they both had a goal in mind to start dating again when it was over, it was like he didn’t understand how difficult this was for her. He didn’t seem to be struggling in the same way she was.

YuZhi had never been the overly emotional and clingy boyfriend, like Rhea was as a girlfriend. He had always been able to regulate his feelings, keep his pain and frustration hidden and got on with life no matter how much his was falling apart. It’s what had drawn her to him in his darkest days. His strength and ability to get up and keep moving forwards.

He had never been the jealous type who would question her about his male friends or scold her for going out and partying and not letting him know she would be late home. He didn’t keep tabs on her or call or text her constantly the way she did him. He had been an easy and laid-back boyfriend who didn’t try and control any aspect of her life, or interfere in her choices in anyway, and now she evaluated it, she started to doubt if he ever loved her the way she loved him. Maybe his easy going nature of the past three years hadn’t all been relationship security and his personality.

“Answer the god damn phone!” She snapped into her mouth piece and slammed her mobile on the window sill beside her, anger bubbling up like a volcano and then scooped it up to text him instead. Gripped by the rising hysteria that seemed to hit so much easier nowadays.

I’m in a meeting. I can’t answer. I’ll call you in an hour.

The text came before she could type an angry rant, and she simmered at seeing his name on screen. Instantly quelled as she blinked at the words that felt like a ray of hope in her darkness. Her temper dying down and she sighed with defeat that he could so easily change her entire mood with one response.

“Why do I feel like you’re lying to me.” She whispered to herself and slid her phone against her aching chest to stand and stare at the scenery outside. She caught her breath and cooled down by regulating her breathing and staring at the prettiness of the day. She didn’t want anyone to see how much of a mess he made her. This wasn’t the persona she presented to the world.

There was a time, YuZhi relied on her for everything and she felt she was the center of his universe. After his parents died, and he was a zombie of a boy who seemed hopeless in life who cut off his emotions and avoided any trauma. She was his friend, his rock. She did everything in her power to help him rebuild his life and become someone worthy of standing in Leng in his father’s place. She made him famous, styled him, taught him how to curb his wild streak and present a cool and calm façade instead.

He had been the kind of boy that gave his father headaches. Party obsessed, wild, with strings of adoring girls following him and naughty behavior that only worsened when ZhengLi and him hit their puberty years. Two strong willed spoiled teens who thought only of being young, rich, and fun loving. The military was good for him in terms of bringing him to heel, but his parent’s dying curbed all ounces of that fiery rebellion that had kept them at loggerheads for years and created a filial and calm man. She clung on in hopes that one day he would return her feelings for him that she had shone his way since their childhood, so stuck by him through it all. No matter how much it hurt to watch.

Despite years of having to only be his friend, he finally accepted her love for him. It was no grand coming together and confessions or anything romantic. In truth, she always suspected it was like he felt obligated to give her more because it’s what she was pushing for and he knew he owed her. She had been trying to ignore and deny that fact for years. Telling herself that real love grew, and he wanted to marry her. She wasn’t even sure if YuZhi really knew what he felt for her and it was all tie dup with his guilt, confusion and grieving of the past.

Rhea brushed herself down and went to move, but a thought crossed her mind and she hesitated, trembling as her heart flipped over, lifting her phone to stare at the screen as a flicker of suspicion crossed her mine. With where her thoughts had been, it suddenly seemed important.

Determination pushing her to start typing a response as she bit down on her lip, fear gripping her soul but unable to stop herself hoping she was wrong.

If you don’t call me now, I am going to see TangShi and take her out to lunch to talk without you. I want this resolved. I don’t need you there.Content (C) Nôv/elDra/ma.Org.

She knew that YuZhi had become weirdly protective of TangShi these past weeks, and she hated it so much it made her throat ache and her chest tighten. A jealous haze moving in to remove traces of her senses as her breathing became labored.

YuZhi picked up his phone to glance at the text in absentmindedness, ready to dismiss it until he saw TangShi’s name in the message and swiped it to read properly. He was almost done with his briefing as his colleagues carried on reporting to the men at the table, talking and pointing at the projector screen on the wall facing him. He zoned out and gritted his teeth when he read what Rhea threatened, exhaling heavily, igniting irritation and got up to go out and call her back.

“Excuse me. I have an urgent call.” He bowed to the other board members seated, catching ZhengLi’s eye as he frowned a ‘I can’t be doing with this’ at him and walked outside.

There was no way in hell he was letting Rhea near TangShi to talk one on one about this. TangShi couldn’t lie and he knew she might blurt out the truth or an apology without him there and end up with another violent rage from Rhea. It didn’t bear thinking about. It brought him out in a cold sweat.

Rhea saw his name flash on screen as the call came in and her heart erupted in splicing pain, biting on her lip as she stifled a sob in her throat and shook her head. Her worst fears confirmed. That when it was to do with TangShi, he called back without hesitation, and it spoke volumes to her.

“You’re meeting is suddenly over?” She snapped upon answering, her tone bitter because she couldn’t conceal her anger and disappointment in him.

“No, it’s not. I had to slip out. What are you doing? Leave TangShi alone. She’s at school and you’ll only cause a scene. I told you I would think it over and tell you if we would meet.” YuZhi tried to keep his voice low aware of by passers in the hall. Knowing that anyone could hear something out of context and cause issues.

“No, you agreed on a dinner with the three of us. Now you’re backtracking. Why?”